ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Special Service and Features
Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Scheme as many as 1,334 houses have been provided to the beneficiaries in Andaman and Nicobar Union Territory : Union Minister of State Dr L Murugan
Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Dr. L Murugan said that as many as 1,334 houses have been constructed and given to the beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Scheme in Andaman and Nicobar Union Territory.
Speaking to the mediapersons in Andaman capital Port Blair today, the Union Minister said that Kisan Credit Cards had been distributed to 7,422 beneficiaries who got agricultural loans amounted to Rs 20 crore.
He further said that under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana Scheme , 15,500 farmers have been given financial assistance of Rs.6,000 as minimum income support and about 13,000 people have been given free LPG connection under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana scheme.
Earlier a review meeting was held under Union Minister of State Dr L Murugan on the implementation of the Union Government’s various welfare projects in Andaman and Nicobar Union Territory. Andaman Chief Secretary Thiru Keshav Chandra and secretaries of other departments who participated in the review meeting presented the details of the projects being implemented in Andaman and Nicobar Union Territory and also the number of beneficiaries.
Later Union Minister of State Dr L. Murugan insisted on providing necessary safety equipments to the sanitation workers. He further instructed the department officials concerned to complete the pending welfare projects without any time delay.
Ministry of Railways
Indian Railways will start issuing limited waiting lists tickets for different classes for Special Trains being introduced from 12.05.2020
There shall be No RAC in these special trains
The changes shall be made applicable for the trains starting date 22nd May, 2020 i.e. booking for which shall commence from 15th May, 2020
Indian Railways has decided that there shall be no RAC  in special trains restored wef. 12.05.2020. Also, it has been decided that waiting list tickets shall be issued subject to maximum limits mentioned below:
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Class
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Maximum Waiting List Limit
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1 AC
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20
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Executive Class
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20
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2 AC
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50
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3 AC
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100
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AC Chair Car
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100

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Sleeper
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200

Indian Railways has taken some other decisions with respect to Special Trains restored wef 12.05.2020 which are as under:
- Other rules concerning waiting list shall be applicable.
- No Tatkal/Premium Tatkal Quotas shall be defined.
- Senior Citizen Quota, Ladies Quota and Quota for Divyangjans shall be defined as per extant instructions.
- The refund rules i.e. cancellation upto 24 hours with refund of 50% of fare and NIL refund within 24 hours of train departure shall be discontinued and extant refund rules i.e.Railways Cancellation and Refund rule 2015 shall be made applicable.
- The above changes shall be made applicable for the trains starting on 22nd May, 2020 i.e. booking for which shall commence from 15th May, 2020.
AYUSH
Steps taken to promote Ayush Aahar
Ministry of Ayush had participated in the celebration of Poshan Maah and Poshan Pakhwada organized by the Ministry of Women and Child Development through the National Institutes/Research Councils under the Ministry and had also requested to all the Ayush Departments of all the States/UTs including Gujarat for the same. The Ayush Ministry is promoting Ayush-based diet and lifestyle and is working in convergence with the Ministry of women and child development in the Poshan Abhiyaan  to realize the ultimate goal of “Suposhit Bharat” . The week wise activities covered under Rashtriya Poshan Maah to promote "Ayush Aahar" in the country are as under:
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- First Week: Plantation activity in the form of Poshan Vatika at the spaces available in Aanganwadi Centres, Gram Panchayat, Schools, etc.
- Second Week: Yoga and AYUSH for Nutrition .
- Third Week: Distribution of Nutrition Kits comprising of regional nutritious food to beneficiaries of Aanganwadi along with IEC material in high burden districts.
- Fourth Week: Identification of Severely Acute Malnourished  children and organising Community Kitchen for the beneficiaries.
The National Institutes under the Ministry of Ayush had undertaken various activities such as Poshan Udyan  of medicinal herbs, brochure describing Poshan maah and various Ayurved Aahar recipes, Ayurveda Food Expo showcasing various innovative recipes like Ready-to-eat healthy foods. A Workshop was conducted for Startup in the field of Ayurveda Aahar.
Ministry had also chosen the theme “Ayurveda for Nutrition” for the 6th Ayurveda Day that was celebrated wide and in various other countries on 2nd November, 2021.
Ministry of Ayush has issued an Ayush nutritional guidelines, namely ‘AYUSH Dietary Advisory for Kuposhan Mukt Bharat’, dietary recommendation for pregnant women, dietary suggestions for Lactating Mother, dietary plans for children, dietary advisory for Anaemia in Pregnancy and Malnourished Children for better dissemination and adoption of Ayush based practices at large.
The Women and Child Development department Gujarat under Integrated Child Development Scheme  introduced AYUSH based pre-mix Bal Shakti+ and Matru Shakti+ with addition of certain Ayurvedic herbs. The Value Added Take Home Ration  premix is produced by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation  known as AMUL with the support of 3 dairy cooperatives .
This information was given by Minister of Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
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Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
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No need to physically port the ration card from one State/UT to another under One Nation One Ration Card  plan
Since inception of the ONORC in August 2019, about 56 Crore portability transactions have been recorded in the States/UTs up to 31st January, 2022
The Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today informed that under the technology driven One Nation One Ration Card  plan, as such there is no need to physically port the ration card from one State/UT to another, as the beneficiaries have choice to lift their foodgrains from any electronic Point of Sale  device enabled Fair Price Shop  from anywhere in the country, by using their same/existing ration card issued in their home State/UT. Since inception of the ONORC plan in August 2019, a total of about 56 Crore portability transactions have been recorded in the States/UTs under ONORC up to 31st January 2022. A State/UT wise statement showing total number of portability transactions recorded under ONORC is at Annexure.
As part of the Concurrent Evaluation of the implementation of National Food Security Act  and Targeted Public Distribution System  operations through Monitoring Institutes , which are esteemed universities and institutions of national repute, the Department has conducted assessments of the implementation of the ONORC plan in States/UTs in a phased manner. Also, from the large volume of portability transactions under ONORC, it is evident that the beneficiaries are leveraging the facility of ration portability to access their NFSA as well as PM-GKAY foodgrains from any FPS of their choice, without being dependent on the tagged ration shop in the ration card. Such a flexibility was not available earlier under the traditional TPDS operations when beneficiaries had to lose their food security benefits in the event of migration or being away from their village/town or designated FPS.
Ministry of Defence
President Confers Vayu Sena Medal  to Flight Lieutenant Preji Raju Flying 
Flight Lieutenant Preji Raju Flying  is posted to a frontline Avro Squadron since 08 October 2018. He holds CAT/IR 'C White' and has 330 hours of accident/incident free flying on type.
On 31 March 2020, he was detailed to fly a Routine Transport Role mission as captain from Agra to Gwalior. Immediately after take-off from Agra, the ground crew in the passenger cabin alerted the Captain that the starboard engine was on fire.
Fit Lt Preji Raju, in the face of a grave emergency, maintained his composure, correctly identified the emergency with the assistance of his co-pilot and promptly carried out initial actions despite not having fire indications in the cockpit. Even after switching off the engine and operating all available fire extinguishers, the fire continued. Amidst this rapidly deteriorating situation in air, he displayed exceptional courage and situational awareness, and decided to land on the cross runway. This decision proved crucial in minimizing the time in air with one engine still on fire. Despite his limited experience, he took command of the situation, displayed excellent Crew Resource Management and directed his co-pilot to operate the second fire extinguisher while he continued to fly the aircraft accurately. Having decided to land on a different runway, he displayed flawless crew coordination and spatial orientation to execute a near perfect single engine landing. He stopped the aircraft on the runway, ordered a quick exit and assisted in fire fighting as the engine was still on fire.
Flt Lt Preji Raju did not allow a life threatening situation to overwhelm him. He led from the front and displayed exceptional courage to save the aircraft and lives of its occupants, despite his relatively less service seniority and flying experience. His actions live up to the highest standards of bravery and professionalism enshrined in the ethos of the Indian Air Force.
For act of exceptional courage in the face of a grave emergency, Flight Lieutenant Preji Raju has been awarded Vayu Sena Medal .
Prime Minister's Office
PM praises float-on - float-off operation of Chennai Port
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has praised float-on - float-off operation of Chennai Port which is a record and is being seen an achievement to celebrate how a ship has been transported to another country.
Replying to a tweet by Union Minister of State, Shri Shantanu Thakur, the Prime Minister tweeted :
"Great news for our ports and shipping sector."
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Farmers’ delegation from Rajasthan calls on Minister, Jal Shakti over low water flow issue in canals
Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat directs urgent convening of Bhakra Beas Management Board meeting to resolve the issue
A delegation of farmers and public representatives from Rajasthan representing Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and Bharatiya Kisan Mazdoor Sangh, led by Lok Sabha MP from Ganganagar, Shri Nihal Chand Chauhan called on the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat here today. Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises was also present. The delegation highlighted the farmers’ plight due to low supply of water in the Rajasthan and Ganga canals.
Chairman, Bhakra Beas Management Board , Shri Devendra Kumar Sharma said the water flow has been maintained at the prescribed 1,301 cusecs level even during the peak summer months as on 22nd May every year. The delegation pointed out the BBMB has assured more water supply demands will be met but the State Government has not put up any such proposal.
Shri Shekhawat spoke with the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan over phone and expressed disappointment that the state’s Chief Engineer  did not attend today’s meeting. The Minister said the aggravating water crisis could trigger farmers’ protests as low water supply was putting their standing crops at risk. He directed the BBMB Chairman to urgently convene a meeting of the Board on 17th December and resolve the water distribution issue. Shri Shekhawat, however, pointed out that the Central Government has made available the maximum water supply during the last three years.
The delegation included MLAs Shri Bihari Lal Bishnoi , Shri Balbir Luthra  and Smt. Shimla Bawri . Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shri U.P. Singh and Chairman of Central Water Commission, Shri Rajendra Kumar Jain also attended today’s meeting.
The distribution of Satluj water amongst the partner States of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan is done as per Bhakra Nangal Agreement 1959. The overall share of the Partner States is as under and the water is being distributed accordingly to the satisfaction of partner States:
Punjab - 57.88%, Haryana - 32.31% and Rajasthan - 9.81%.
The distribution of surplus Ravi-Beas waters is done as per the Agreement among the Chief Ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan on December 31, 1981. As per this agreement, the total quantum of surplus Ravi-Beas waters over and above the pre-partition utilization has been assessed as 17.17 MAF on the basis of flow series for the year 1921-60 after deducting the pre-partition uses of 3.13 MAF and transit losses in Madhopur Beas Link of 0.26 MAF.
The allocation of surplus Ravi-Beas waters to the various States in accordance with this agreement is as under:
Punjab 4.22 MAF
Haryana 3.50 MAF
Rajasthan 8.60 MAF
Delhi Water Supply 0.20 MAF 
J&K 0.65 MAF 
Total 17.17 MAF
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India’s Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 193.83 Cr
Over 3.42 Cr 1st dose vaccines administered for age group 12-14 years
India's Active caseload currently stands at 21,177
4,041 new cases reported in the last 24 hours
Recovery Rate currently stands at 98.74%
Weekly Positivity Rate is presently at 0.73%
India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 193.83 Cr  as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 2,46,63,629 sessions.
COVID-19 vaccination for the age group 12-14 years was started on 16 March, 2022. So far, more than 3.42 Cr  adolescents have been administered with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Similarly, the COVID-19 precaution dose administration for age group 18-59 years also started from 10th April, 2022 onwards.
The break-up of the cumulative figure as per the provisional report till 7 am today include:
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Cumulative Vaccine Dose Coverage
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HCWs
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1st Dose
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1,04,07,176
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2nd Dose
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1,00,42,015
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Precaution Dose
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52,68,465
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FLWs
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1st Dose
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1,84,19,549
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2nd Dose
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1,75,87,615
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Precaution Dose
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88,41,461
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Age Group 12-14 years
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1st Dose
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3,42,27,853
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2nd Dose
|
|
1,71,57,137
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Age Group 15-18 years
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1st Dose
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5,95,51,915
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2nd Dose
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|
4,60,19,813
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Age Group 18-44 years
|
|
1st Dose
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|
55,72,61,695
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2nd Dose
|
|
49,10,62,169
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Precaution Dose
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|
9,75,368
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Age Group 45-59 years
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|
1st Dose
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|
20,32,70,633
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2nd Dose
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|
19,10,81,619
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Precaution Dose
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14,71,297
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Over 60 years
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1st Dose
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12,71,05,294
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2nd Dose
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|
11,91,93,349
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Precaution Dose
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1,94,27,942
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Precaution Dose
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|
3,59,84,533
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Total
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|
1,93,83,72,365
India’s Active Caseload currently stands at 21,177. Active cases now constitute 0.05% of the country's total Positive Cases.
Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.74%. 2,363 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients  is now at 4,26,22,757.
4,041 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.
The last 24 hours saw a total of 4,25,379 COVID-19 tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 85.17 Cr  cumulative tests.
Weekly Positivity Rate in the country currently stands at 0.73% and the Daily Positivity rate is reported to be 0.95%.
Ministry of Rural Development
People will get land records in their own language soon, says Shri Giriraj Singh
Union Minister Shri Giriraj Singh releases e-book on Land Governance Reforms announced in Budget
State Governments got a significant increase in the land revenue through the use of NGDRS software: Shri Giriraj Singh
Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Shri Giriraj Singh announced that soon, people in the country will be able to get their land records in their own language. He said that the Department of Land Resources, MoRD will plan to roll out the multilingual software from April 2022. After that, the land records will be available in 22 languages. The Minister was speaking after releasing an e-book on Land Governance Reforms announced in Budget titled "Empowering Citizens-Powering India."
Speaking on the NGDRS software developed indigenously, Shri Giriraj Singh said that the NGDRS software costs around 4 crores to the government but the use of this software resulted in increasing land revenue by the State Governments. The Minister said that State NGDRS is being implemented in 13 States which will be benefitted to 22 crore people. Till now, 30.9 lakh documents registered through the system from which revenue of more than 16 thousand crores has been received.
The Minister said that after the rollout of ULPIN  in the country, No one can take away the rights of the poor. Linking ULPIN with PAN, Aadhar, land records, Courts and banking system, will get rid of corruption and fraud in land matters. So far, ULPIN is rolled out in 14 States. The Minister also requested State Governments to spread awareness about the land reforms amongst people.
The contents of the e-book are related to Unique Land Parcel Identification Number , National Generic Document Registration System  and Multilingual Land Records – to break the linguistic barrier in land records. There has been tangible transparency in land records information and management after the adoption of digital technology by the Department of Land Resources. A Unique Land Identification Number  to each land parcel is being assigned to land Parcels to prevent fraudulent and Benami property transactions. Further Digitization of Land Records will empower citizens and India for Atmanirbhar Bharat- the vision of Prime Minister. Moreover, the updated land records will reduce the time for payment of compensation and provide rehabilitation and resettlement benefit for land acquisition considerably. The Multilingual Land Records will facilitate access of information for the prospective individuals in his regional and mother languages.
Union Minister of State for Steel and Rural Development, Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Secretary, Department of Land Resources Shri Ajay Tirkey and Secretary, Department of Rural Development Shri Nagendra Nath Sinha, Shri Sonmoni Borah, Joint Secretary, DoLR were also present on the occasion.
Ministry of Law and Justice
PRESS COMMUNIQUE
Vide Notifications No. K-13024/0512018-US.I and K-13024/04/2018-US.I dated 11th August, 2021, in exercise of the power conferred by clause  of Article 224 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint S/Shri Viju Abraham and Mohammed Nias Chovvakkaran Puthiyapurayil as Additional Judges of the Kerala High Court, for a period of two years with effect from the date they assume charge of their respective offices.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Coconut Development Board establishes Call Centre for FoCT Palm Climbers
Mumbai: 12 May 2023
The Coconut Development Board is planning to establish a call centre for Friends of Coconut Tree  palm climbers at its Headquarters in Kochi. The call centre will cater to the needs of coconut growers in the field of plant protection, harvesting and other field operations through the Task Force of FoCTs.
FoCTs who are actively involved in palm climbing are requested to join in the Task Force at the earliest for availing the benefits related to this sector. Task Force of FoCTs will be engaged for carrying out several operations in the coconut sector at each Grama Panchayath level through the Call Centre.
For further details please contact Publicity Section, Coconut Development Board, Kochi.
Email Id: cdbpub[at]gmail[dot]com, phone : 0484–2376265  /8848061240.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Impact of Lockdown
India’s overall export  has declined by 25.42% during the period April-June, 2020 as compared to the corresponding period of previous year. The latest merchandise exports show a recovery, with export decline reducing to 12.66% in August,2020. With the gradual opening up of the economy after the nation-wide lockdown, industrial activity has started to normalize. The quick estimate of the Index of Industrial Production , released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation for the month of June, 2020 stands at 107.8 as compared to 53.6 and 89.5 in April, 2020 and May, 2020 respectively.
Government has taken the following key steps to boost exports:
- The validity of Foreign Trade Policy  extended by one year i.e. upto 31-3-2021 and relaxations granted and time lines extended due to COVID-19.
- Interest Equalization Scheme on pre and post shipment rupee export credit has been extended by one year i.e. upto 31-3-2021.
- Line Ministries have notified various sectoral incentive packages, such as Production Linked Incentive Scheme  by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology  and PLI Scheme by Department of Pharma for Key Starting Materials / Drug Intermediates and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients .
- Common Digital Platform for Certificate of Origin has been launched to facilitate trade and increase FTA utilization by exporters.
- A comprehensive “Agriculture Export Policy” is under implementation to provide an impetus to agricultural exports related to agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries and food processing sectors.
- Promoting and diversifying services exports by pursuing specific action plans for the 12 Champion Services Sectors.
- Promoting districts as export hubs by identifying products with export potential in the District, addressing bottlenecks for exporting these products, supporting local exporters/manufacturers to generate employment in the District.
- Strengthening eco-system for adoption / implementation of mandatory technical standards for goods, services and skilling.
- Energising Indian missions abroad towards promoting our Trade, Tourism, Technology and Investment goals.
- Package announced to support domestic industry, including through various banking and financial sector relief measures, especially for MSMEs, which constitute a major share in exports.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM welcomes election of Om Birla as Speaker of Lok Sabha
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, welcomed the unanimous election of Shri Om Birla as the Speaker of the seventeenth Lok Sabha, in accordance with the highest traditions of the House.
Congratulating Shri Om Birla, in his address at Lok Sabha today, the Prime Minister said that it is a proud moment for all the members to have such a distinguished personality as the Speaker of the House.
He said that Shri Om Birla has been in public life for years, starting as a student leader and has been continuously serving the society. He commended the role played by Om Birla in the transformation and overall development of Kota, Rajasthan.
The Prime Minister also remembered his long association with the newly elected Speaker. He underlined Shri Om Birla’s dedication to service and his contributions towards the rebuilding efforts in Kutch after the earthquake and Kedarnath after the floods. He added that the seventeenth Lok Sabha is getting a compassionate leader as its Speaker.
The Prime Minister assured the Speaker that he would receive full cooperation of the members in conducting the proceedings of the House successfully.
Prime Minister's Office
PM shares a video expressing gratitude to mother earth on Earth Day
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has said that Earth Day is about expressing gratitude to Mother Earth for her kindness and reiterating our commitment to care for our planet. The Prime Minister also shared a video on the occasion.
The Prime Minister tweeted;
"#EarthDay is about expressing gratitude to Mother Earth for her kindness and reiterating our commitment to care for our planet."